PUMPKIN CHALLAH

These slices of bread make a delicious toasted nose slathered with butter and salt. it is also an excellent vehicle for processed cheeses. Or imagine pumpkin challah dipped in egg batter, fried on French toast and sprinkled with syrup .

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon quick-rising yeast (or 5 teaspoons dry active, or 3 tablespoons fresh)

1/2 cup warm water

1 cup pumpkin puree (8 ounces)

3 eggs, plus 1 for greasing the bread

3 ounces butter, melted and cooled (6 tbsp)

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon salt

5 cups all-purpose flour or breadcrumbs

INSTRUCTIONS

1.In a large bowl, whisk together the yeast, water, pumpkin, eggs, butter, sugar and salt. (If using fast-rising yeast, sprinkle the yeast over the water and let sit 10 minutes before adding the remainder of the ingredients.) Stir within the flour, one cup at a time, until a shaggy dough forms. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, adding enough flour to stop the dough from sticking to your hands and surface, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place during a lightly oiled bowl or container, cover with a lid or wrapping and let rise during a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

2.Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and squeeze it carefully in order that air bubbles begin . Divide the dough into 6 equal portions (about 8 ounces each). Tuck the ends right down to form a loose loop. Cover loosely with wrapping or an outsized bag and let sit for 10 minutes to loosen the gluten and make it more malleable. Roll them into a rope of about 14 inches. Connect the cable at the top , with the free end closest to you. Number the strands from 1 to six .

3.Bring strand 6 to strand 1. Strand 5 is now the new strand 6, and therefore the old 6 is that the new 1.

4.Start braiding the dough consistent with the subsequent scheme:

5.Repeat this pattern until you've got used all the dough.

6.Pinch the ends and slide them under the bun.

7.Phew! Now remove the bread onto a parchment baking sheet, put it beat an outsized bag and let it rise for about half-hour .

8.Preheat oven to 400º with rack on bottom rack. Brush bread with beaten egg, and let rise again for quarter-hour in bag. Brush the bread a second time, return to the bag and let rise for about quarter-hour . The loaf should be roughly double the dimensions and will suit your fingerprint when lightly pressed. (Optionally sprinkle the highest with poppy or sesame seeds.)

9.Put the bread within the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325º and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Turn the bread over and bake for an additional 15 to twenty minutes, for a complete baking time of 45 to 50 minutes. The bread should be an upscale brown, sound hollow when tapped on rock bottom , and an instant-read thermometer should record a minimum of 195º when inserted within the middle.

10.Remove the pan from the oven and permit the bread to chill completely, 1 to 2 hours, before eating it.